The First Stone
by Praeceps
Summary: The first time I knew, I was six.


Disclaimer: Yes, yes, I am aware of the fact that I do not own Inuyasha, or anybody else for that matter. I do own myself for that matter though. You can sue me, but I'm poor and penniless, and I'm certainly not making any money doing this. This is just for fun, and to clean up some space in the attic previously called my head. And if you have a problem with my humble work, then don't read it. Enjoy!!

_

****

The first stone

The first time I knew, I was six. 

I'd been walking down the village street, towards the market, to buy some rice. It wasn't a very big village, just some farmers grouped together and a trader or two visiting every now and then. I'd always liked that village; maybe it was because it was my first proper home; maybe it was because after moving here my mama finally learned to smile again; maybe it was because the sun reflected so prettily off the waterfall that fell down close to the village, creating a colorful rainbow; I'll never know. 

To this very day I still don't know the name of that village where I spent my first few years, I suppose that it was too small to have a proper name, but I still remember it, if only for the fact that we were happy there, for a little while. 

__

I feel them starring

I remember I was _so_ proud that day. My mother had thought I was big enough to go out on my own, sending me out to buy some rice for supper. She'd seemed a bit odd when she asked me, slightly tense or apprehensive, but I was young and more excited at the fact that I was finally allowed out into the village. 

I'd never been alone outside before, not near the village anyway. My mama said it was because I was too little, so most of the time since we'd moved there I'd spent playing in the woods by the waterfall. 

I was amazed at how _big_ everything was. It's odd, but everything looks bigger when you're a child and alone. Big and important. The road was big. The fields were big. Hell, even some of the houses seemed big. But the people, _they_ were small.

__

I hear their whispers

When I entered the village, most people were in the fields working, so there were few people that noticed me. Looking back, I think she planned it that way.

At first, everything seemed normal. I skipped through the streets happy, as any child would be when given a treat. This was after all my first time out and I would savor it. 

The women were inside making lunch for their men. The children were playing near their houses. I could hear laughter. 

I didn't notice how quiet it grew as I passed by.

__

I see their scowls

The market was close by, and though not many salesmen were there at this time, there was one that sold rice. My mother had told me to ask nicely for the rice and give him money, and I did because I would do anything she asked of me, just to keep her smiling. But when I did he wouldn't take it. I couldn't understand why he wouldn't, he wouldn't say, and he just laughed cruelly in my face when I pleaded to let me buy some. 

__

Flesh of my flesh

It was when he spit at me that things changed. He was big and I was small, but even back then I'd had a temper and I didn't care. Even a child understands that being spit upon is an insult, and I hadn't done anything to deserve it.

I bit him. I should have gone home, but in hindsight I don't think they would have let me, so I attacked him.

Being a child, though I had both fangs and claws, I didn't do much damage. A scratch here, a cut there. At most he shed a drop of blood. Not enough to matter. But the villagers thought differently, they wouldn't listen to my defense. I can remember how scared I was, having been beaten up previously for that _one_ drop of blood and then passing out, a huge mob having surrounded me by the time I reawoke. 

I was stuffed in a cage, and _"interrogated"_. They demanded to know who I was, using pieces of fruit and pebbles to convince me to speak. Buying rice wasn't believable enough, and the price for their mercy was more than any child should bare.

__

Blood of my blood 

It was _her_ cry that stopped them, shocking them into silence when she lay claim to me. _"Inuyasha!"_

I was _so_ relieved, I thought everything would be alright now, now that mama was here. But her sad smile was back, the very same smile she gave to me to hide that something was wrong with my father.

The villagers had known that my mama had a son, but they had never met me. She had wanted to keep it from them, about my nature, until she thought they were ready. She'd thought they _were_ ready.

You can imagine the horror dawn upon their faces when they realized what a noblewoman had done with a youkai, having conceived a child like myself from him. Mama had always been proud of father, but the villager appeared to think otherwise.

That night I watched my house burn. My mother was dead, stoned to death, her body left in the burning hut.

__

Why am I so different?

I was six the first time I found out that I was alone. 

Since then, I have done a lot of things to humans. I have fought them. I have ignored them. I have killed them. I have hated them. And I have loved them. But I have always done this _alone_. And now as I stand here, feeling my life ebb out from the spell of this arrow, I feel bitter… bitter that I was never given a chance, bitter that it ends this way, bitter that I will also _die_ alone…

__

And as I see the first stone fall

I cannot help but cry:

What did I do wrong?

****

Praeceps:

If it's any comfort this was meant for before Inuyasha met Kagome, just a possibility for how he started down the road he went. We all know that he was bullied, that people of that age hated youkai and hanyou's, and that his mother died while he was young. So I just wanted to try my hand at this, since it's such a popular theme.

And just if someone is confused about the stone part, I think it's taken from the bible, both from people used to stone unpure people and the saying 'only he without fault may cast the first stone.'

Oh! And any spelling mistakes can be blamed on incompetent English teachers, and/or my spell-check program, because I, myself, am PERFECT!!! ;-P

Thanks to all you reviewers, I'll do my best not to disappoint you all.

PS. Is nobody going to read and review my other story, soon to be stories?

^-^


End file.
